Getting Hired at Google: Grid Helps You Ace Interview Questions

I had an "aha" moment while reading "The Google Resume" in preparation for my interview with author Gayle Laakmann McDowell. As a person who frequently experiences brain freeze unrelated to ice cream and also brain-tongue disconnect, I think her advice to create a preparation grid for interviews is a winner.

McDowell writes that it's important to think about your most important projects and how you would answer questions about them. She explains:

The columns represent each project, and the rows represent the common behavioral question. If you are applying for an engineering role, the rows should instead be the common technical questions, such as the hardest bug or biggest algorithm challenge.

It's important to fill in just a few key words to jog your memory. This can be especially great during phone interviews because you can keep the grid in front of you. Here's an example from the book: